Alcohol and addiction support & treatment

Alcohol Concern is the national agency on alcohol abuse. Their website publishes a number of leaflets and fact sheets and there is a directory of all local drug & alcohol services in the UK searchable by area. The directory also lists residential support providers. Some of the providers in the list are private organisations as opposed to those supported by public funding.

Of particular interest to people with alcohol involved in care proceedings are the increasingly rare residentil units which will accept parents and children.

Phoenix Futures runs a unit in Sheffield – you do not have to be drug / alcohol free on admission as they also provide detox. They will accept children up to 10 years’ old. You can refer yourself to their service as well as getting referred through your GP, social services or other drug / alcohol support services. You are likely to need help from your local heath service to get funding organised for this type of placement which can take a long time to organise.

Plymouth based Trevi House is a rehab facility open to women with drug / alcohol dependency with one or two children and they admit pregnant women. It does not appear to be limited to those local to Plymouth and self-referrals are possible (though funding is required).

St Michael’s Fellowship also offers a residential service which will support and assess those who are drug or alcohol free and will accept children. The website information suggests that the parent is expected to have engaged with a specialist agency before entering the unit and there is contact information to find out more. Generally referrals have to be made or supported by social services.

You should be aware that there are often some restrictions on who these sorts of project will accept – for example, they may not accept mother with a mental health problem other than / as well as alcohol or drug issues, or people with convictions for offences against children or with convictions for arson etc. Residential facilities are not generally available for couples and children. As far as I can see all the facilities require that abstinence from alcohol is a goal and, of course, you are not allowed to drink or use drugs whilst in the unit although there are usually detox services offered for those who cannot stop using straight away. Generally, parents will not be able to have their children with them for any detox part of the programme.

Addaction is the largest UK drug / alcohol charity and also has a good website and a directory of UK service providers.